


Enjoying the First Snow

by thereluctantguardian



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, ambrollins - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 08:05:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17179058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thereluctantguardian/pseuds/thereluctantguardian
Summary: Set after Seth and Dean lose the tag belts. Seth goes looking for his wayward partner and finds him outside as it starts to snow.





	Enjoying the First Snow

Seth wasn’t quite sure what he was doing at the moment. A freak cold snap had arrived with a vengeance in Iowa, and here he was out in the increasingly cold weather looking for his wayward tag partner. It wasn’t unusual for Dean’s demons to drive him to wander at all hours of the night, especially now with the lost of the tag belts to The Bar just this past Monday. 

Brow furled, Seth clenched his jaw in annoyance and simmering anger. Those belts belonged to him and Dean. They were the ultimate symbol of the long overdue reunion with his lunatic brother, of Dean’s forgiveness, and of the final step of Seth’s desire to redesign, rebuild, and reclaim himself. The fact that they lost those titles due to the New Day interference rankled something deep within him. They would pay; all of Smackdown would pay. Seth had plans, but first, he needed to make sure Dean was okay. 

It had been so long since Seth felt the desire to check on the older man and make sure the jagged edge’s of Dean’s raw emotions didn’t cut too deep, but Seth found it was a responsibly well missed and settled like a comfortable, well-worn weight on his shoulders. The problem with not having been in any sort of contact with Dean except for the last few months, parceling out where Dean had squirreled himself away in the nooks and crannies of the hotel the Raw roster was currently staying in was becoming a bit of a problem. 

Thank god for Bayley and Sasha. Both women seemed to intuitively know who he was looking for as he roamed the halls and mentioned they had just passed Dean in the lobby carrying what looked like a liquor store bag. That set off the light bulb for Seth, thanking the women who both disappeared into Sasha’s room, Seth hurriedly grabbed his coat and beanie before darting out the front door of the hotel and heading into the alley next door. 

Seth drew up short though, when the narrow street failed to yield his partner. Fighting the urge to curse, Seth ventured further into alley in a futile hope that Dean would miraculously appear out of the darkness. Trash was strewn all over, and the smell caused Seth to wrinkle his nose in disgust. A part of Seth was glad that Dean had chosen not to drink in this awful place, that Dean was better than that now. He chose to ignore the part of him that unhelpfully reminded him that not too long ago, Seth had loudly proclaimed that this was exactly the sort of place a person like Dean belonged. 

He was fighting the urge to check in the dumpster when a faint clang sounded overhead. Startled, Seth glanced up, fully expecting to see some stray cat prowling around on the fire escape, but surprising, he could just make out a pair of familiar combat boots hanging over the ledge of the landing at the very top of the fire escape. A huge sigh of relief escapes the younger man; there was his wayward brother. 

Climbing up the fire escape was a noisy exhibition of Seth’s patience and stamina, and his hands were freezing by the time he reached the final rung, but Seth was determined to reach his teammate before he froze into a Dean-cicle.

Dean though, did not even bother to turn around to greet him as Seth finally reached to top landing and sat down next to him. The silence stretched between, and Seth felt the awkwardness of the moment although who knew how Dean viewed the silence. There was a time that Seth would known, but tha-

No. That was the past, this was the here and now. Dean was here next to him, not shoving him away, letting him just be near him which Seth was pathetically grateful for. Although Seth wished they were doing this somewhere warm as a sharp gust of icy wind cut across the high rise causing a full body shiver to rush along Seth’s frame. Without even glancing over, Dean handed over the bottle he had obviously been drinking from, and by the smell alone, Seth could guess that it was bourbon. The firey line that raced down his throat confirmed it, but the accompany warm that followed was well worth it. That must be how Dean was staying warm because being the lovable idiot that he was, Dean was only wearing a well worn hoodie.

Just as Seth was about to suggest that they head in, Dean finally spoke. “I can’t tell you how many nights I sat on a fire escape just like this one back in Cincy.” 

Seth wasn’t sure what to say to that. Was he suppose to say something?

“Almost feels like home in a way. The garbage in the back alley, the smell of empty beer bottles, the dumpster I could hit if I angle it just right.” Dean’s head was resting on top of his arm that was supported by the cold metal rail, his line of sight fixated on his boots and the alley below. Seth followed his gaze and stared in distaste at the gutter he had just recently ascended from. The odor of the garbage managed to reach even up here, and the trash and various debris that littered the ground painted an unflattering representation of Dean’s childhood living conditions.

Seth wasn’t quite sure where Dean’s sudden maudlin thoughts had come from, but Dean had certainly come a long way from a kid that used to escape out onto cold landings and rickety ladders. Maybe it was time Dean stopped looking at down at the garbage below and started looking up at the skyline in front of him. Remembering where you came from was all well and good, but Dean apparently needed reminding how far he had risen from said garbage and ascended the ranks of the WWE.

“Didn’t you use to take your tv set out to the fire escape to get reception so you could watch wrestling? Isn’t that where you fell in love with wrestling?” Seth passed the bottle back to Dean who looked vaguely surprised at Seth’s statement.

“And now look at you. Youngest modern grand slam champion, the first of the Shield to get it too, wrestled the Undertaker…” Dean took a hardy drink as Seth continued on, but he was at least now looking up, his face thoughtful. 

The silence that followed was less tension filled this time, and the pair silently passed the bottle back and forth. Slowly, a smile eased across Dean’s face and the older man elbowed his companion gently in the side with a quiet “thanks”. 

Seth smiled in return, proud that he could help build Dean back up after years of tearing him down. Suddenly, Seth noticed it was beginning to snow. The first of the season! Filled with an urge of childish glee, Seth stuck his tongue out to try a catch some of the flakes. Dean snorted as he caught on to what Seth was doing.

“What?” Seth defended himself. The first snow of the season is the best snow!”

Dean chuckled and collapsed backward on the landing’s grated floor hard enough that Seth feared for Dean’s head, but the erratic man merely opened his mouth and allowed a mound of snow flurries to flutter in. Figuring that he had the right idea, Seth laid on his back (gentler than Dean had), shoulder pressed to Dean’s and copied Dean’s obviously superior snowflake catching technique.

“Did I ever tell you about the time I walked from Philadelphia to WWE headquarters in the middle of a blizzard?” Seth snickered and shook his head negatively. He contently listen as Dean regaled him of how he nearly lost a finger at a gas station after he hitched a ride in the back of an old pick up truck. 

Strategy on how to regain the tag titles and revenge plans on Smackdown could wait. For now, Seth was simply enjoying the first snow in the company of his brother.


End file.
